Zika virus (ZIKV) is a positive-stranded RNA arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) in the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae (Gubler, D J, et al., In: Knipe, D M, et al., eds., Fields Virology, 5th edn., Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, 2007:1155-227). It is thought to be principally transmitted to humans by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In addition to transmission by mosquitoes, ZIKV may be sexually (Foy, B D, et al., (2011), Emerg. Infect. Dis. 17:880-882) and vertically (Mlakar, J. et al., (2016), N. Engl. J. Med. 374:951-958) transmitted, or transmitted via blood products or tissue samples. ZIKV generally causes a mild disease, with a rash and mild febrile illness in the majority of symptomatic individuals. However, when pregnant women are infected with ZIKV, there is an increased risk of developing microcephaly in the fetus (Schuler-Faccini, L. et al., (2016), MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly Rep. 65:59-62) or other developmental abnormalities (Brasil et al., (2016) N. Engl. J. Med., March 4). There have also been reports that ZIKV is associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome in patients infected with the virus (Cao-Lormeau, V M, et al., (2016), Lancet, April 9:387(10027):1531-9). In addition, there have also been reports of an association of ZIKV with brain ischemia, myelitis and meningoencephalitis (Carteaux, G. et al. (2016), N. Engl. J. Med. 374(16):1595).
The tropism and pathogenesis of ZIKV are largely unknown. In general, flaviviruses are enveloped viruses containing a single strand RNA genome of about 11,000 bases complexed with multiple copies of the capsid protein, surrounded by an icosahedral shell consisting of 180 copies each of the envelope glycoprotein (E) (˜500 amino acids), and the membrane protein (M) (˜75 amino acids) or precursor membrane protein (prM) (˜165 amino acids), all anchored in a lipid membrane. The genome also codes for seven non-structural proteins that are involved in replication and assembly (Sirohi, D. et al., (2016), Science, 352:467-470).
During their life cycle, flavivirus virions exist in an immature (non-infectious) state and a mature (infectious) state (Lindenbach, BD, In: Fields Virology, Knipe, D M and Howley, PM, eds, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers, Ed. 6, Vol. 1, 2013, Chapter 25, pp. 712-746).
The ZIKV envelope glycoprotein (E) may be a target for protective antibodies, but to date, no antibodies specific for ZIKV envelope glycoprotein are in clinical testing. Accordingly, there is still a need in the art to identify new antibodies, which can be used to prevent or treat a ZIKV infection.